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AFTER THE RACE
What was your worst moment in the Race?
Amanda: After the gondola ride, we had to go and find the place where the Masquerade ball was. All of us Teams were mostly bunched up, and it was a footrace, and we were running through the streets of Venice trying to find the Palazzo da Mosto. We were freaked because Teams that we wanted to stay in front of were coming up on us. So Chris and I were running, and Steve & Josh were right behind us, and Josh yelled, "Hey Amanda, wait!" Chris and I kept running. Well, they had found it, and we missed out, and then what happened was the beginning of our demise. Chris and I and Millie & Chuck ran around for probably three hours looking for the shitty place. We wore ourselves out, and we were hungry and bitchy and miserable. It always helps to have a positive attitude, and at that point in the Race, we all felt that we were done for. That is a miserable thing to feel.
Chris: Easily, my worst moment of the Race was in the crazy-ass Masquerade ball. With all of them freaks running around, the lack of sleep and food, and the highly pressurized situation, it was very hard to think straight and realize that there was an upstairs area where more freaks were roaming around. Not until I saw Monica coming down the stairs to look at more masks did I realize there were more rooms. And damn, were there ever! There were like eight other rooms up there with a ton more ballers prancing around. If I would have only taken a little more time and paid more attention to my surroundings. It was our downfall, and I regret it to this day. Damn.
What was the best moment in the Race?
Amanda: Leaving Dodger Stadium, we thought that we were last, because I was very slow getting to the car, and it was hard for me to figure the car out and to start driving. We ended up just getting out ahead of Tian and Jaree, and that is because their car was all jacked up. So we went from second to last getting out of the parking lot to being fourth inside the airport. And dropping "F" bombs all the way to the airport got us there much faster!
Chris: I am most proud of staying in the top group for mostly the entire duration of our Race stay, until of course that freaky Masquerade thing. Probably, though, my best and most memorable moments will be those shared with the friends that I made, that were funny and special, but will never make it to TV.
When and how was your relationship with your Teammate strengthened or changed?
Amanda: Well, first of all was the interview process. We really pulled together to get in our apps and video, and then we were there for each other during the semifinal and final interviews. Then, in preparing for the show we shopped together and watched season three over and over and over again to get some sort of idea of how big our backpacks should be. During the Race we were doing something so new and crazy and something that had never been done by either of us (i.e. traveling to other countries, flying down Olympic ski jumps, etc.) that we of course were changed. We have changed, and our relationship has changed. Strengthened? I dunno. I still love him, if that is what you want to know.
Chris: Our relationship has not really changed. It has always been full of feistiness. We act like that all the time, we make up quickly, and we move on. Those fights that we had were funny as hell to us, watching it, because they really meant nothing. The moment on the hill when I called Amanda "Flo" stems from conversations we had before the Race. She wanted to be tough and aggressive and not have any "Floments." I was simply trying to remind her of those conversations and make her realize the effort she was putting forth. Not really fights, just trying to motivate each other in the way that we are used to. And of course, Amanda and I will always have our special bond of participating in the Race together, and that is most definitely something that will never be able to be shared with somebody else.
Is there any place you'd revisit, or wish you had been able to visit?
Amanda: I definitely want to revisit Italy. I want to make it to a lot of other European countries. Eurorail here we come! Other than that, I would love to see Africa and New Zealand and Australia and…I could keep listing forever, but I think you get the point.
Chris: Well, since we didn't get to go to many places, I would have to say that I would love to go back to Italy. I just hope that I never see those friggin' masks again! I really hoped that we would get to go and see all the world together, but that didn't happen. I would have really loved to see the pyramids in Egypt.
If you could do the Race over, what would you do differently?
Amanda: I am not much of a competitor. Did you notice that, or get that feeling? If I could race over again, I would kick people when they were down and be tons more aggressive and try to win. I just got too caught up in meeting friends. I would be more focused and goal-oriented if I could race again, and I would be a lot less social.
Chris: Man, we think about this every day since being eliminated, and we have come up with many different things, with some of them maybe being able to make a difference. But it doesn't matter, because I cannot change any of it. BUT IF I COULD, I would definitely cut in line at the Roadblock when Josh offered, I would have seriously thought about the Fast Forward, or I would have gone and visited Steve & Dave, who WERE at the Fast Forward and found out where the Pit Stop was beforehand from their clue.
Of all the things you packed, what was the most useful?
Amanda: Well, I packed toilet paper and I did not need it to wipe with, like I had said I would, because in Italy they had accommodations like I am used to here in the United States. But I did use the toilet paper to blow my nose, and a runny nose can really slow a person down.
Chris: I had too much crap in my bag as it was, so I would have actually picked some things that WEREN'T useful. But the thing that was most useful was my winter gear, cuz' it was damn cold up in Italy.
What did you wish you'd brought with you, but didn't?
Amanda: I wish that I had left some clothes at home, and with the extra space packed many more power bars. They came in handy, and if we had made it further, I would have needed them badly.
Chris: Like I said earlier, I had way too much crap. So we were very prepared. You could almost say overly prepared. The only thing I could have wished for would be a secure location in my backpack to sneak along a GPS system and some extra cash so we could've eaten.
Now that you've finished the Race, what are your plans?
Amanda: Well, I want to go back to college and finish up my degree and move somewhere warm, and eventually I want to get married and have kids and all that other good stuff. And really, I want to race again, because that was the most fun I have ever had in my life! I want to prove that we are better than the 11th best Team.
Chris: I will do my damnedest to try and do something that will top this fantastic thing that I have just participated in. However, doing so will be very tough. I'd really like to backpack through Europe. Anyone else want to come? Let me know. Maybe we can get someone to film it and offer a prize.
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